Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—A bill seeking to prohibit a candidate or “prospective” candidate from appearing or guesting in commercials, movies and radio and television programs one year before the start of the campaign period has been filed in the Senate.
Senate Bill 3386, authored by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, seeks to amend Sections 79, 80 and 81 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 88,1 otherwise known as the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines.
Under the bill, the following acts will be considered premature campaigning, which is an election offense:
- Endorsing any product or service whether for a fee or not
- Appearing in any infomercial, documentary or movie
- Guesting in any television and radio program “except for purposes of legitimate news coverage”
- Accepting any employment in any media outfit as a news anchor or writer or regular talent
- Buying any print, radio, television or internet space to advertise him/her-self or ay product or service
The bill, if approved into law, will be applied to a candidate , who has filed his or her candidacy, and to a “prospective” candidate or a person aspiring for or seeking an elective office “whether or not he or she has explicitly declared his/her intention to run as a candidate in the immediate preceding elections.”
“Any person, whether a candidate or prospective candidate, may be held liable under this section for the acts committed within one year before the start of the campaign period. Provided however the candidate should have actually continued with his/her candidacy,” it said.
“Provided further, the prospective candidate who engaged in an election campaign or partisan political activity to promote his/her intended candidacy should have subsequently filed his/her certificate of candidacy and actually continued with his/her candidacy,” it further said.
Santiago, in her explanatory note of the bill, noted that some wealthy senatorial bets have started taking out campaign advertising in both traditional and social media.
“Some ‘senatoriables’, who are either incumbent elective or appointive officials, are even using public funds to advertise themselves under the guise of infomercials,” she said.
“On the other hand, to be popular, some political aspirants are appearing or guesting in movies, commercials and radio and TV programs,” she further said.